Chapter 1: Parents in This Life

On the highway running through the well-known development zone of W City, a young couple chatted sweetly in their car. From time to time, the husband, who was driving, would glance sideways at his delicate wife’s belly.

It was the weekend, and the two had agreed to drive to a village under Taoxian, a county near W City. Tomorrow happened to be the 60th birthday of Zhou Jiao’s parents.

The couple had already bought gifts the day before, filling the trunk of their car. Even though Zhou Jiao was the second child and never the favored one in her family, she’d managed to finish junior high thanks to compulsory education, and later completed her studies through part-time jobs and scholarships. After graduating from a prestigious university, she stayed on as a lecturer. This was an achievement unmatched by her two siblings, yet in her parents’ eyes, only the eldest daughter and the youngest son—their only boy—truly mattered.

As the middle child, Zhou Jiao was always caught in between. When her older sister was born, their parents were newlyweds and delighted to have a daughter, hoping the next child would be a boy to complete the ideal family. But when Zhou Jiao was born—a second daughter—they were disappointed, even resentful. Still, she was their child, so they simply chose to ignore her existence. Years later, when her mother finally became pregnant again, the family was hit by the one-child policy. They paid a hefty fine, lost their jobs, but at last, they got what they wanted—a big, healthy baby boy to carry on the family name.

No matter how distant she felt from her parents, Zhou Jiao still fulfilled her filial duties, treating it as paying for peace of mind. Her husband, Zhang Guoqing, who grew up in an orphanage, never saw anything wrong with supporting one’s parents.

He had been abandoned at the orphanage not long after birth—on National Day, no less. The director, surnamed Zhang, gave him the name Zhang Guoqing. Compared to the other children, he was a healthy, well-developed one-month-old, and the whole orphanage was puzzled that anyone would abandon a healthy boy. They were also delighted to have him.

Perhaps it was fate, but under the loving care of the director, whom he called “Mom,” Zhang Guoqing grew up healthy. When he was in his sophomore year of college, the director passed away, leaving him a small 50-square-meter apartment she’d bought after being widowed.

In some ways, he was luckier than Zhou Jiao, who had living relatives but lacked genuine parental love. After two years of knowing each other and two years of dating, his dream came true: he and Zhou Jiao agreed to marry. Now, two years into their marriage, they were about to welcome a new member to their little family. Zhang Guoqing was content and happy with his life.

“Jiaojiao, lean your seat back and get some rest. I’ll wake you when we reach the county. Be good, okay?” Zhang Guoqing said gently.

“No need,” Zhou Jiao replied softly. “Just drive carefully. I’ll keep you company so you won’t get sleepy.”

Zhang Guoqing smiled, warmed by her concern. “Alright, but rest if you get tired! In two months, our baby will be born. Have you thought of a name yet?”

“Haven’t you decided? You can pick from the ones I suggested.”

“I want to come up with a name that commemorates our love. Who knows if it’ll be a girl? If it is, I’ll name her Zhang Xinyue—‘my heart delights in you.’” He chuckled.

“You’re so cheesy, but I like it. What if it’s a boy?”

…

The car was filled with laughter as they drove. Summer had just ended, and the trees lining the road were tinged with yellow. The fields outside the window were empty; the rice had already been harvested.

Stalks and straw were scattered across the fields. If you went down there, you might still find some snails, loaches, or eels, though pollution had made such finds rare. Zhou Jiao remembered how common these were in her childhood, but now they were hard to come by.

As they drove on, dust swirled everywhere. The closer they got to the county, the more crowded the roads became, and they had to slow down.

When they reached Taoxian, the couple fell silent for a while. Then Zhou Jiao said gloomily, “Guoqing, I really don’t want to go home. Every time I call, it’s just about money. My little brother is married now but still doesn’t work, just lives off our parents.

I bet this time they’ll ask my older sister and me to help buy a house in the county. If it’s like last time—if they don’t get money, they won’t even let us stay overnight. If that happens, let’s just leave. We’ll give what we should, but don’t offer anything extra. My parents know you’re soft-hearted.”

“I know. Don’t be upset, especially since you’re pregnant. I’m sure our brother-in-law will speak up. He’s had it tough too, and their family isn’t well-off. Their son is about to start elementary school, and just the sponsorship fee for a good school is 50,000 yuan. We’ve only been working a few years, and apart from the apartment Zhang Mom left us, we only have a little over 100,000 yuan. But don’t worry, my salary will go up after the New Year, and my position too.”

“Good, as long as you know. I already transfer money to my parents every month. Living in the countryside doesn’t cost much, and I never really spent their money growing up. Rural girls don’t do as much as I do—monthly transfers, plus gifts for every holiday. And you gave 50,000 yuan as a bride price when we married. Even though my older sister doesn’t give as much, she still sends 5,000 to 10,000 yuan a year.

They’re not short of money. Just look at my aunts—none of their daughters support their parents like we do. It’s only because you and my brother-in-law are so easygoing. Otherwise, why did they want a son in the first place? They always said daughters were a burden, but after losing their jobs to have my little brother, they’re still supporting him and his wife. Once they have kids, they’ll be supporting the whole family.”

“Should I help your brother find a job? He needs to take responsibility for his family,” Zhang Guoqing suggested, frowning.

“Don’t! With his attitude, he’d quit in less than half a month, and how would you explain that to your contacts? My brother-in-law once got him a job with a 5,000-yuan salary, but he quit in less than a month, saying it was too tiring and that, as a college graduate, he deserved an office job. My mom even blamed my brother-in-law for not finding him a good job. Since then, no relatives dared to help, because it’s a no-win situation.”

“Alright, I’ll listen to you. You’re in charge of our family. We’re almost there—just across this road.”

These days, rural life wasn’t much worse than in the city. The wide roads were lined with new three-story houses, most with white-tiled exteriors and fruit trees planted alongside. Thanks to the bride prices from Zhou Jiao and her sister, and her regular support, her father Zhou Dafu was better off than his brothers. Their new villa had five rooms and three stories, gleaming with bright tiles, and the furniture inside was even more impressive.

In their village, there was a custom: when parents moved into a new house, the daughters were expected to buy the furniture. With all the extra support, the house was practically built by Zhou Jiao and her sister. Compared to their uncles’ daughters, everyone said Zhou Dafu was lucky to have such filial daughters and sons-in-law.

Every holiday, they’d drive home with big gifts. In contrast, their cousins could only move into their husbands’ homes. Everyone knew those cousins had been spoiled since childhood, but they were sweet-talking and sharp-tongued—no comparison.

Their grandparents had always looked down on the eldest daughter, and after the family split, they stayed with the youngest son. When Zhou Dafu lost his job to have a son, his parents blamed him constantly, even trying to stop Zhou Jiao from going to college. If she hadn’t been clever and arranged with her teacher to leave early, she’d have been forced to marry young for a bride price.

So everyone in the village knew about the Zhou family’s situation. But what could you do? After all, the daughters were willing to be filial. Even now, on their mother’s 60th birthday, both daughters had driven home, while the precious son was still playing cards at the village store.

Zhou Jiao didn’t really want to come back, but if she didn’t, her mother would go to her school and cry to everyone. That’s how she’d gotten the bride price in the first place—by acting like it was only right. After all, Zhou Jiao was a university lecturer, a role model—how could she not understand the virtue of filial piety?

Even at work, things weren’t always smooth. People didn’t care if your parents hadn’t raised you; they still expected you to support them and inform them about your marriage. If you hadn’t experienced it yourself, you wouldn’t understand how painful it was. Reality forced you to compromise.

Zhang Guoqing just wanted to keep the peace, so he gave a 50,000-yuan bride price. As for the initial demand of 150,000, well, if they didn’t provide a dowry, what could you do?

Standing at the gate of her parents’ house, Zhou Jiao’s mind was full of these thoughts.

Her mother greeted Zhang Guoqing warmly. She knew her younger daughter wasn’t soft-hearted, but her son-in-law truly treated her like his own mother. Deep down, she liked him—unlike her eldest daughter, who was always cold.

Whenever she visited the city, her son-in-law would take her shopping. If he wasn’t busy, he’d drive her back to the village. She enjoyed staying with her younger daughter—no in-laws to deal with. Plus, her son-in-law was thoughtful: last year, he and Zhou Jiao gave her and her husband their company’s holiday trip to Hainan, along with 5,000 yuan in spending money. There was more, but no need to mention it all.

She was glad her husband had chosen the orphaned son-in-law. If they’d insisted on marrying Zhou Jiao off to that rich county boss for 200,000 yuan, it wouldn’t have been nearly as good—he’d already been through three wives in three years.

Her husband was right: the second daughter seemed slow and soft-spoken, but she was actually the most capable. She was no longer someone they could control.

Oh, you don’t agree with her marriage? If they hadn’t gotten the bride price, she’d have gone and registered the marriage herself. Just like when she got into college—while the family was preparing a banquet, she’d already secretly moved her household registration and gone off to work and study.

No one knew where she got her smarts—she’d been earning money since she was little, never asking for tuition, even more calculating than her older sister. If not for her son-in-law, she’d have been a wasted investment.

Her husband always said, the second daughter’s household was hers to run. If she was truly filial, buying a house in the county—or even the city—wouldn’t be a problem.

If Zhou Jiao knew what her parents were thinking, she’d probably be both amused and exasperated. But even if she did, she wouldn’t care. She and her husband had already agreed: no more handouts. With a baby on the way, expenses would only increase.

Besides, her parents had savings, a new house, and no worries about food or clothing. She felt she’d done enough as a daughter. What she didn’t know was that just last night, her whole family—except for her older sister’s family—had already decided that the two sisters should buy a house for their parents. If she’d known, she might have turned around and driven straight back to the city."